.32S&W long reloading

[tjpopkin]

I have been using a Pardini .32 for the NRA Nat'l Gallery Match for centerfire at our local IWLA league shooting match every week. My scores have improved over those I shot in past years with my Les Baer .45. This week I fired a perfect 100 in timed fire competition. Here is my problem:
I am hand loading my ammo using Remington Brass (.32 S&W long), Federal small pistol primers, WW231 - 1.8gr., and the H&N 100gr. HBWC sized at .312.
The Pardini bore is .312. Most other pistols have a .314 bore and the bullets are all over the world in terms of size. I have tried Lapua 98gr. HBWC from Champions Choice, but the point of impact is vastly different from the H&N. I had some 100gr. DEWC cast bullets made by Mid Kansas casting with a BN hardness of 12, but they have gone out of business. I called Nygord, from whom I purchased the original H&N bullets, but he is out of stock until later this year (he is awaiting a large order from Germany, the only way it is affordable to get these bullets).
I need to know what other bullets are available in.312 or who stocks the H&N.
Terry Popkin

[william]

No real need for .312 bullets. When I started reloading for .38 special I was told that lead bullets should be 2 or 3 thou over. My HP is perfectly fine with the 90 gr Hornady which are nominally .314

[deleted1]

I use the Meister 100 gr. DEWC with Remington Brass, Federal SP Primers, 1.2 grains V VN310---the gun shoots perfectly---no alibis and is as accurate as I can hold at 50ft.---25yards (metres). Just cleaned both my SP & HP after the indoor season ended and it was a pleasure with very little if any fowling and absolutely no leading in the HP chamber.

[mister G]

Other possibilities include the 98 grain Magnus cast bullet and the RCBS/Speer 98 grain swaged bullet. Either will work fine ahead of 1.6 grains of W231 or WST in the Hammerli SP-20 or Domino 603.

1.8 grains seems a bit stiff, but is needed in Walther pistols for functioning.

[chukeeee]

My wife and I both use Walther GSP-C's for bullseye. I load our ammo. Magnus bullets from champions choice, Rem. cases, 1.7 gr. VVN110 for 50 yds., 1.4 gr. VVN110 for 25 yds. The Magnus bullets fly great even at 50 yds., every other bullet I tried would have one or two tippers at 50 yds. out of every 10 shots. Indoors, I can cut the powder down to 1.1gr. The Walthers function fine. Shoot 10's and give them friends.

[Todd Kraemer]

I use 1.9 grn of Winchester 231 Ball Powder to push my homemade 90 grn DEWC and Speer swaged (I think 95 grn). It feels a little peppy, but anything less causes cycle problems in my GSP.....

BY THE WAY 32 S&WL Shooters.....

I have a bunch (over 10,000 pieces) of fired .32 S&W Long pistol brass for sale. I got it from a local gun store that went out of business about 10 years ago - the owner made and sold a lot of reloaded ammunition and this brass was from his inventory.

It is all mixed headstamp, but 95% of it is Remington or Winchester. Some Federal and others here and there....

All the brass is fired - and has been tumbled in corn cob to clean. It is clean but not polished.

Asking $40/1000, $70/2000, $100/3000 - ship via USPS Priority you pay actual costs from my Michigan 48439 ZIP.

I'll count by weight and keep it well in your favor...at least 10% over.

Thanks. Todd Kraemer, 810-953-1534, tkraemer@att.net

[Richard H]

I use 1.6 grains WW231 with 98 gr. Lapua, 98 gr .314 Speer, I use to have some 100 gr .313 Excel I never have any problems with relaibilty at 1.6 grains in my GSP, I have used up to 1.8 grs.

[Faduka]

Do you have experience reolading .32 with Bullseye powder?
If so, wich is the best charge with this powder, considering 98gr bullets, and target at 25m? 1.6grs?

[Tycho]

I get the best groups out of all italian .32's (FAS 603, Pardini HP, Benelli MP90S) with H&N .313, 90 grs. 1.3 grs VV 320 or 1.2 grs VV 310. Alternative is .314 H&N 100 grs, with 1.4 grs VV310, that gets you exactly the same load as the factory Hirtenberger, which was and in many places still is the .32 ammo of choice for the national teams. I think that 1.8 W231 is WAY overkill, the Pardini frame is not that solid. I know of Pardinis which have fallen apart just from the old Lapua Factory Ammo, which made about 240-250 m/sec with a .314 98 grs...

[Mike Taylor]

Faduka,
When I first got my GSP (back in 1975), the preferred load was the factory Lapua 98-grain wadcutter. The concensus among the shooters in my area was that 1.8/1.7 grains of Hercules Bullseye with a bullet weighing from 90 to 100 grains provided an equivalent to the Lapua load.
My most recent box of factory Lapua (98-grain HBWC), in a data panel printed on the box, lists a velocity of 240 m/s (with no reference as to barrel length), which agrees with the velocities Tycho quoted.
Four years ago, I chronographed a few rounds of a load comprising 1.8 grains of Hercules Bullseye and a 97-grain Goodwin cast lead, button-nose, bevel-base wadcutter, sized 0.314/0.315 inches diameter. These averaged 237.5 m/s (at the chronograph). I failed to note whether these were fired from my GSP or from my Hammerli P240. More recently, I chronographed a few rounds made to the same description except that the bullet was seated about 0.005 inches less deeply and the primer was Fiocchi, rather than Winchester. From the P240, these averaged 235 m/s (at the chronograph). So these figures are fairly close to the Lapua velocity.
From the GSP, the ejected cases flew a few metres away. I have a case-catcher mounted on the P240, so I don't know how far the empties might go. With my Hammerli SP20, I find the cases going much farther away than they did with the same load in the GSP. As well, even with the buffer adjusted to soften the recoil, I feel the SP20 is recoiling more heavily than the GSP or the P240 with the same 1.8 grains of Bullseye. I'm going to experiment with reducing my powder charge, at least trying 1.6 grains and 1.4 grains. Certainly a number of respondents on this forum over the past two years have reported success with lighter loads than 1.8 grains of Bullseye. (BTW, I've seen suggestions that Alliant Bullseye does not exactly duplicate the old Hercules Bullseye. I have some Alliant, but have not yet tried it, as I am still finishing off my stash of Hercules.)
Hope this helps.
Mike T.

[Faduka]

Mike,

Thank you for your answer.
I think I have Alliant Bullseye, not hercules.
I will try it next week whit 1.6 and 1.7grs. Then I'll tell you the results.
Faduka